The present invention relates generally to exterior coverings for buildings and the like. Specifically, this invention relates to vinyl siding panels for building exteriors that are easy to install and prevent a collection of moisture along the building exterior.
It is a common practice to cover the exterior vertical surfaces of a building with aluminum or vinyl siding in order to both protect the building exterior and to provide a durable, aesthetically pleasing finish. Conventional siding consists of long strips, generally between six and twelve inches in height, which are attached one by one to the exterior of a building. The application of individual strips is an expensive, time-consuming process.
These elongated strips interlock with one another, sufficiently creating a seal between strips. This seal prevents the escape of any water that may leak behind the siding, or any water that collects behind the siding due to condensation. This collected water can over time cause damage to the building exterior intended to be protected by the siding.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to develop siding for building exteriors that covers a greater surface area than individual strips, thereby requiring less installation time, and that prevents any collection of water behind the siding.
A preferred embodiment of a vented siding panel to be attached to a sufficiently vertical building substrate of the present invention comprises: (1) a thin, elongated rectangular body having an inner and outer face, and an upper and lower longitudinal edge, said rectangular body having a longitudinal length sufficiently greater than the lateral height of the rectangular body; (2) a substantially flat portion along the upper longitudinal edge of the rectangular body, the substantially flat portion adapted to be parallel to and substantially contact the vertical building substrate; (3) a plurality of openings in the substantially flat portion adapted to enable the passage of fastening devices; (4) a C-shaped portion parallel to and below the substantially flat portion, the C-shaped portion extending outward from the outer face and terminating in a downward position; (5) a U-shaped portion extending along the bottom longitudinal edge of the vertical body, the U-shaped portion terminating in an upward position along the inner side of the rectangular panel and adapted to engage and connect with the C-shaped portion of an adjacent vented siding panel; (6) a substantially planar portion extending longitudinally between the C-shaped portion and the U-shaped portion, the substantially planar portion being sufficiently parallel to and separated a distance from the building substrate; (7) at least one longitudinal groove in the substantially planar portion having sufficiently horizontal upper and lower sections and a sufficiently vertical section, the sufficiently vertical section adapted to sufficiently contact the building substrate, the longitudinal groove positioned laterally in the rectangular siding panel so as to separate the substantially planar section into evenly spaced planar sections; and (8) a plurality of outwardly extending flaps in the sufficiently horizontal upper and lower sections of a longitudinal groove, the outwardly extending flaps adapted to extend into the longitudinal groove, the flaps being cut from the rectangular siding panel thereby creating a plurality of open areas in the rectangular siding panel. The siding panel may be of any appropriate material, such as vinyl, aluminum, or plastic. The panels may also come in a number of colors or textures.
In addition to the novel features and advantages mentioned above, other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following descriptions of the drawings and preferred embodiments.